Molecular Investigations of Babesia caballi from Clinically Healthy Horses in Southwestern Romania

<i>Babesia caballi</i> is a tick-borne hemoparasite that causes equine piroplasmosis. It has a significant economic impact, decreasing performance and affecting animal welfare. This study aimed to identify <i>B. caballi</i> DNA in the blood of horses from households in the southwestern and western regions of Romania. We included 310 animals, from which blood was collected via EDTA. To test the samples for the <i>B. caballi</i> parasite genome, we used real-time PCR and conventional PCR. The prevalence of <i>B. caballi</i> was 5.81% (18/310) in apparently healthy horses, suggesting that this parasite is enzootic in the regions studied, although veterinarians did not indicate any symptoms resembling clinical babesiosis. In Romania, there are insufficient epidemiologic data on equine babesiosis, and the results of the present study suggest the need for further investigations into the dynamics of transmission and to identify potential prevention and control strategies.